Taken in Stride

by Recon

07. Trust

Trust
07

"Aha!" Sable tweeted in her soft voice, loading her plate with various, expensive-looking foods from the table, decorated as if it were the crown piece of the party. The inauguration opening festival for the school was nothing short of amazing. All of the attendants were dressed in nothing but their most formal attire, adding to the gallant atmosphere in the room created by the only the finest, most exquisite decorations from gold-trimmed painting frames to royal red curtains, adorned by the school's logo in an intricately beautiful silver. One would easily mistake this not for a school's welcome party, but rather almost passing as a corporate business meeting of sorts. Upper echelon indeed.

With Sable completely content with her food, she took off towards a lone table in the corner, gleefully flitting along and humming a sing-song melody she had remembered from her days as a filly. Still at the table with the banquet laid out, Lyra observed the scene for herself, taking note of each of the students' interactions amongst each other; the students from Vinyl's class were strikingly familiar. Octavia was attending as well, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps, she figured, she decided to skip the event altogether and decide to sleep in how she usually did. Suddenly, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Miss Lyra."

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you here," Lyra responded curiously, cocking her head to the side ever so slightly.

"I figured I should keep watch over Miss Vinyl until her next agent arrives," Emerald continued. "Where is she?"

"She seems restless," Lyra sighed. "She keeps wandering around... Ah, there she is!" Lyra pointed her hoof across the room, spotting an uneasy Vinyl hobbling around. She stopped at the beverage table, pouring herself an unidentified drink out of one of the brushed metal flasks at the table. Lyra could only hope she wasn't drinking alcohol or anything of the sort. After pouring the drink, she pondered for a bit, seemingly staring off into nothing as her eyes shifted from the ceiling, to the floor, and back to the ceiling again, restlessly. It was hard to believe - from anyone's standpoint - that this renowned star can be anything but her past on-stage appearance; then again, it was that very appearance that was the effect of the things that haunted her and plagued her since her resignation from the scene.

A sharp-dressed stallion with a silk suit that's almost unmistakably Canterlot and a striking black tie complemented with sophisticated reading glasses made his way through the crowd to meet Vinyl. "Ah, Ms. Vinyl Scratch," the stallion prodded, waving his hoof with a gentlemanly smile. Celestia, that sounds ridiculous, Vinyl mused to herself. She turned around, not a hint of any interest or expression in her face. "I trust you've thought about your speech as a representative?" he inquired.

She smirked in her usual fashion. "Of course I have," she remarked in a tone not short of condescending. Closing her eyes with a snide grin, she continued. "I wrote it on the day you mentioned it. Anything else?" she finished with a cocky smile.

Embarrassed, the stallion slowly backed off with an innocent manner. "I-I see... Well..." the stallion paused, searching for something to say. "G-Good luck, then." His previous, gentlemanly composure was broken down, reduced to a nervous, embarrassed and innocent man only wishing her luck. She slumped down into a chair, eyes averted to the ground, regretful and sorrowful. It's true. I just can't be around anyone. Flashes of memories shared between her and Emerald made their way into her mind, even beginning with their first meeting when she moved in to the hotel. How could I hurt someone I appreciated so much... when I never even thanked him properly? Ending where they started, her final memory between them was walking out of the elevator, literally shutting the door on him and almost any chance of them being anything more than acquaintances.

An abrupt voice snapped her out of her melancholic reminiscence. "Hey, look at that," an unfamiliar voice said behind her. Vinyl picked out another voice.

"Think she's nervous?"

"Merely being loaded in money isn't enough it seems," he said with a chuckle.

"She just isn't cut out for this," the second voice agreed.

"You can see her true nature," the first mused. It's the truth.

"Her big mouth is all an act, isn't it?" Yes.

"How sad," the voice chimed with almost a mew. "She's at this glamorous party, but she's all alone." Yeah.

"Naturally," the other voice said with injected toxin. "She's a total bitch." Vinyl froze.

"The only people hanging around her are after her fame and money." Her body tensed, anger penting up from her past, from her memories, from her regrets, from her sorrow. Frustrated yet sad, angry yet regretful, furious yet sorrowful, and with the powder keg of emotion, guilt and regret ignited inside of her, Vinyl stood up from the chair, not facing the two voices. Just ready to confront them, a loud splash of water in the general direction of the voices made her freeze once more. She turned around slowly, surprised at the culprit.

A familiar gloved hoof, almost touching the wet dripping champagne glass which was levitated by a soft green aura was all Vinyl saw, yet it was all she needed to see. The two voices' heads were soaked, through and through, with confused looks on their faces. The Secret Service agent stood proud, yet apologetically, with the outstretched glass still suspended in the air.

"Wh-What was that for?" the voice in the silver suit asked, bewildered at the situation.

"Pardon me," the agent apologized. "It's just that," he paused, looking up to look the voices in the eye. "You've angered me."

Extremely and utterly confused, the voice in the blue suit stepped forward in a confrontational matter. "Huh?!" he yelled at the agent, anger in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about? You think you can do something like that and get away with it?!"

In his typical servant-like nature, while still remaining condescending, the agent gently placed the champagne glass back on the neat table, restoring some sort of order in the situation. "I'll kneel down and beg for your forgiveness if you like." Releasing his magical grip from the glass, he continued in a melancholic tone. "But I request that you take back what you said." He continued on, not once looking up from the table with a wistful smile gracing his face. "Miss Vinyl may not always be the most socially adept of people. But she is honest, conscientious, and loyal." He looked up, turning to the voices. "She is also very, very delicate." Vinyl almost gasped at this, refusing to believe the words she just heard.

"What do you even know about her?" the agent continued, the wistful smile gone to be replaced with a questioning expression. The voice in the blue suit spoke up once more.

"Fine!" he declared, swiping a hoof through the air as if to cut something down. "I take it back!" he yelled, almost with an aura of triumph. "But I want you on your knees!" He was still soaking wet, his hair dripping water on the floor. "Right now! On your knees!" Just as the agent began to kneel down submissively, another voice cut in.

"That won't be necessary," Vinyl interrupted with her trademark smile. She lifted another glass filled with water off of the table, slowly walking towards the scene. The two voices parted as if to make way for her entry. "He is my Secret Service agent. So I take full responsibility."

"Miss Vinyl..." Emerald gasped under his voice, bewildered and stunned.

Slowly but surely, she brought the glass of water above her head, gracefully tipping the glass to its side before all of the water was dumped into her electric mane, as well as ruining the top half of the intricate gown with a single, fluid motion. With her typical smile not once leaving her face, she opened her eyes to look at the voices again. "I hope we're even now."

Just then, as the voices decided to back away from the scene, the unforgettable bell chime played through the PA system before a voice boomed though the regal ballroom. "We will now have a speech from the representative of our students," the voice announced through the whole school. "If she would kindly make her way to the stage at this time."

"Miss..." Emerald began to call out, but to no avail as she was already passing through two sets of doors, apparently unfazed by the scene which unfolded upon her just now.

I wanted emotion. I have grown up in exclusive surroundings. I know that what I ask for is a luxury. But still...

"Please wait!" Emerald called out, trailing shortly behind her through the gilded halls. He chased after again, stumbling on his way, but she continued on as if no one was there beside her. As if she were alone.

~

"Do you not understand your purpose in this god-damned industry, Vinyl? In this world?!" the voice yelled again, hazy.

~

Yes, I do. There has never been anyone who'd say something like that for me. I am the infamous, arrogant DJ, renowned across Equestria, and that is all I have ever been to those around me. I expected to live my life not understood by anyone, not noticed by anyone, all alone.

"Please wait!" he repeated, halting her merely inches away from the stage. "Do you really intend to go on stage like that?"

"I do." She didn't look back, but rather onward towards the stage. "I have no time to change and nothing to change into."

"This is all my fault," he sighed, a sincere tone of regret and guilt in his voice. He fell to the ground. "How can I ever make it up to you?"

"I understand," she said, still without looking back. "You are someone who does not, by nature, put on appearances." She looked back, as he looked up at her. "Emerald..." she whispered, happiness and gratefulness evident as could be.

"Thank you."

There is someone, even for me. Someone who wants to understand me. There is someone...

The speech had finally ended, and the two found themselves back in the gilded ballroom,alone together in a private section. "They're going to find something for you to change into," he assured.

"Sorry for that..." she whispered. "About that... And about yesterday." She barely let her voice above a whisper. "I-I'm sorry..."

Emerald gasped, quickly bringing a small cup of tea above his head and letting it fall upon him in a wave of shame.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she asked incredulously. "What will that accomplish?" she almost pleaded.

"True, it accomplishes nothing," Emerald conceded. "However... I simply had to do it."

"You really are... a total idiot." Vinyl smiled.

"This time, I am going to ask you," she continued. She held up her hoof to him, locking their eyes together. "Would you be my Secret Service agent?"

Emerald gasped. "Are you certain I am worthy?"

"Yeah," she said, looking away with feelings from guilt, to regret, to embarrassment, to joy.

"This time, you really won't be able to break your word," he pleaded.

"...Yeah."

Emerald removed the black glove from his hoof, slowly and gently, and offered it hers in a sign of bonding, a sign of friendship, and most of all, a sign of loyalty. "This time, we really won't be separated."

"Yeah," she concluded, a rare smile of friendship and trust on her face.

"Cross your heart, and hope to die?" he asked.

"Stick a needle in my eye."

Their hooves wrapped together, time seeming to come to a stop.

"I'll take the needle," he said with a hint of a laugh.

"What?!"

"So please don't kill me."

Comments

[Recon]

This one's pretty deep, hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

[hakumei]

3540212 does anyone know where you got this story idea from?

[Recon]

3540290 I believe someone else noticed at the first chapter, but other than that, nope. Didn't expect anyone to really know this haha

[Recon]

Ugh, accidentally revoked the submission thinking it was the edit button.

derp.

[Fallen Cerium]

Very well.